1. I received this book in the mail today and may have performed a little happy dance:

This book is the follow-up to one of my all-time favorite books (and one of the books you really should read if we’re going to be/stay friends), Same Kind of Different as Me. I am so excited about this book that I brought it with me in the car yesterday morning to read for the seven minutes it takes to get to church…until I remembered that we had to take two cars so I would need to drive. At which point I thought really hard about whether I could get away with reading it on the way anyway and quickly decided that would probably be unsafe. You can be sure that I’ll be back with a full report when I finish reading this book.

Several friends list this book among their favorites so I thought I’d give it a try. I usually only get to read in the car line when I’m picking the kids up from school and for as long as I can keep my eyes open when I get in bed at night. If I could do anything in the world I wanted to do, I would read all the live-long day. I’m trying to be a grown-up and do responsible things, like the laundry, but this book has greatly tempted me to throw caution to the wind, let the kids eat crackers for supper and enjoy marathon viewings of Phineas and Ferb, and sit quietly with my book. I love the way Leif Enger writes. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next!

3. I don’t want to seem irrelevant so at this time I wish to join the ranks of all the other cool bloggers I’ve read lately and give a shout out to this:

Of course I’ve had one! In fact, I went a step beyond the other day and ordered a pumpkin spice CHAI latte. Oh, yes I did! And apparently I’m the first trendsetter in my neighborhood to order that particular drink because I had to clarify that no, I didn’t actually want any espresso in my chai, I just wanted a chai latte flavored with the pumpkin spice.

4. I had this for lunch yesterday:

It’s crawfish ravioli. It could change the world. Calling it good would be insulting to this dish. Wish you’d been with us. I probably would have let you have a bite.

5. A new Bible study started at my church today and I’m not there. They’re studying the book of Hosea. I miss being part of a small group Bible study but I’m not sure if this is the best time for me to make that kind of commitment.

If I could choose anything to study right now, I think it would be this study:

It’s called Interrupted and it’s by Jen Hatmaker. The first post that I read about the study included a video of the author talking about what prompted her to write it. She said that Jesus interrupted her life and she compares the after effect to “an adult conversion experience.” Right now, the All Access blog, part of Lifeway’s Women’s division, is giving away a DVD leader kit. You can read more about the details of the giveaway by clicking here. I’m posting this information today to try to win the kit for myself, but I won’t be mad at you if you win instead. I feel like my life has been interrupted in very big ways over the last few months and I want those interruptions to count for something that will last longer than my time on this earth.

Are any of you doing a Bible study right now? Are you doing a study on your own or are you in a group? I’m the person who wants to know what everyone at the table ordered when we go out to eat so I hope you don’t mind me getting in your business.

6. Did you guys see the VMA clips with Kanye, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce? I didn’t actually see the show. (I may drink pumpkin spice CHAI latte, but I’m not that cool.) I saw a few people Tweet about it this morning so I watched the clips on YouTube. Just in case you mostly get your news from KLOVE and Playhouse Disney, too, here are the clips. The first is of Kanye interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video of the Year:

(Again, I may not be in the know of all things, but shouldn’t his fifteen minutes be over by now?)

Then I saw this clip of Beyonce accepting the Best Video of the Year award and I was very moved:

I was moved because we live in a culture where women are each other’s worst enemies. Instead of encouraging and supporting each other, we spend a lot of time comparing ourselves to each other and making others look smaller so that we appear bigger. I don’t know if Taylor and Beyonce are Christians, but I wondered this morning what the Church would be like if we treated our sisters like family instead of like our competition. Then I read this post by my friend Kellie. She was transparent and very real about her struggles with wanting things to be perfect. She mentioned the importance of having “Truth Tellers” in our life who don’t just tell us what they think we want to hear. I want to be more like Beyonce and Kellie today. I want to look for ways to help the women in my life be who God created them to be.

7 (the number of completion). My dad has surgery Wednesday. Originally he was scheduled to have surgery last week, but the surgeon moved it to this week. It was scheduled for today, but Friday night we received a call that postponed the surgery indefinitely. Then the surgery was rescheduled for Wednesday. Then it was tentatively scheduled for today. Then it was moved back to Wednesday. It’s been an interesting week. But you know what? It’s all good. More than ever we are convinced that God is ultimately in charge….of surgery times and surgeons and even of ugly, malignant brain tumors. Some trust in chariots (or surgeons or the latest medicines and procedures) and some trust in horses (or our own knowledge and understanding), we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7).

May your Monday be filled with random bits of goodness that make you smile! Talk to you later!

I don’t know anything about Taylor Swift (I actually thought she was a dude until last night- I guess I got confused with some other American Idol type? I’m totally not into that).

All that being said, I particularly enjoyed this post. For whatever reason. Just thought you should know.

Also- we’re about to start our small group study based on Randy Alcorn’s book, “Heaven.” (Don’t know how to underline in a comment.) I’ve got to admit, I’m jumping ahead because this book is THAT good. I’m so excited.

I have to say … I tried a pumpkin spice latte today and wasn’t knocked out by it. Not for the price they charge. Oh, well. :) My Bible study is doing Isaiah this fall (the 2nd half – we spent the spring in the first half of the book).

Can I still be your friend if I don’t do coffee? Just never acquired a taste. However, I do love all things pumpkin, so I am tempted to jump on the bandwagon and try this concoction that all bloggers seem to love.
I’m crazy woman and doing 2 Bible studies this fall. It’s a really long story, so I’ll spare you. I’m doing Beth Moore’s “A Woman’s Heart” and BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). BSF is studying John for the entire year.
Praying!!

Okay, OKAY, I’ll order The Same Kind of Different as Me. Gee whiz…I’ve been busy reading a little book on Advent and doing a bible study with the book The Search for Significance by Robert McGee. Kellie had recommended the book, and I started it and lurved it so much (hurt’s so good…) that I recommended it to my bible study buddy. Now we’re doing it together. Think I might get the student version for my kiddos.